Beyond
by Hikari Konoshiro
Summary: Dedicated to MaYsempai, Julin and Kirst. There's a land at the edge of the World waiting for just for him. But what will Eiri Uesugi discover when he arrives? And why does the King's son seem so familiar...? Eventual YXS
1. Stage I: Origin

**A/N:** Hello and welcome to the first stage of the newest project by **_Hikari-kun and Cia-chan_**; **"Beyond"**, officially named **'Origin'**! We promised a new fic that would stand out from the rest, and this will most certainly be it, I'm sure! I apologise for the deletion of "The Shining Light" – I realise I promised this'd be up after that was completed, but there's a few small details that require tweaking in that fic, so I've deleted it until further notice. But I _promise_ it'll go back up soon! Anyway, I'm using a few of the ideas developed through "Within the Darkness of His Heart" (formally TWDWD) for this fic, but it'll be fine for new readers to read too – I'll make sure to explain everything in detail, so you'll all catch onto the ideas. But, anyway, enough blathering from me! Onto the fic!

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_Dedicated to three super inspirations in my world – MaY-sempai, otherwise known as the Fluff-sama or the Queen of Randomness, the Goddess herself, Julin, and finally, one of my best friends, Kirst. To you three, I owe so very much. Thank you all, majorly!_

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**Theme of 'Origin': **_Main Theme – "Gravity of Love" by Enigma (thanks MaY-sempai, for sending me this one! It so suits to be this fic's main theme!); "Always" by Kirst (the true inspiration for this fic, who tied together all the loose knots!); "The Longest Story" by Daphne Loves Derby (yet another strong inspiration for this fic!)._

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**Beyond**

**Stage I: Origin**

_There is a land, far beyond the edge of the world. A land that has been thought to be a myth, all throughout history. But, as one person is about to find out, not all myths are _just_ "myths"._

_After all, this is the land where myths are born._

_Welcome to Anaeria._

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Morning sunlight streamed through the windows, breaking through the barrier of curtains. A soul sleeping under the morning glow stirred, shifting around under the mass of sheets. They did little to keep him warm in the night, but it wasn't really necessary at this time of year anyway; Spring was casting it's spell over Tokyo and everyone seemed in the right mood. Lovers canoodled under bus shelters, off to secret dates away from the city. Shopkeepers opened their stores bright and early, cheery smiles alight on their faces. The city was alive with spring spirit. 

_One person, however, was not in the spring spirit._

He was a lonely man – a man who didn't _want_ to be alone, but refused to allow anyone to get close to him. His golden eyes opened blearily, trying to focus because of the blinding sunlight casting it's gaze upon him. But he felt no warmth on his skin. He felt nothing. Because _there was no one there._ Something was _missing_ from his life. Something, wasn't with him… something familiar that should've been right beside him.

But he had no idea what that 'something' was.

The sun could sense his loneliness. It could feel the overwhelming loneliness this man felt. It could feel it, and it wanted to make that loneliness disappear. It wanted to warm him, like a mother would warm a child, and protect him. It wanted to make that cold loneliness melt away from the mere touch of its rays upon his skin.

But the sun knew this would do nothing. No sunlight could help a lonely man.

There was a silence in the air of the lonely man's apartment. Even though the city was alive beneath his feet, in that apartment, time stood still. He was unaware of the changes all around him, and therefore his eyes weren't able to see the sun trying to ease his pain. His skin couldn't _feel_ its golden warmth sweeping across it. It was as if his very body had become a prison, that sealed himself off from the outside world.

The sun understood this, and realised there was nothing it'd be able to do to help this man out of his loneliness.

And the man got out of bed, and began his usual daily routine. First, go to the fridge and retrieve a beer. Next, light a cigarette and sit down. And then, try and sort out how to finish this god-awful story…

Eiri Uesugi (who was often referred to as 'Eiri Yuki') was a renowned romance novelist, no matter how lonely he was. But lately, his stories had been lacking their usual romantic qualities. For some reason his ideas had been slipping away, although he had no idea why. The just wouldn't flow onto the page the way they should. They'd just sit there, in the back corridors of his mind, not moving and not connecting. He didn't understand it. Just a few months ago he'd been able to write fluently, his words carefully flowing into one another, like water. But now, it was as if the whole concept of love was foreign to him.

Just what had happened that had caused this?

He sat and thought, but his answer didn't come. He just couldn't remember why he wasn't able to write well any more. All he knew, was he was unable to make the pieces connect.

He huffed. Writing a novel shouldn't be this difficult. The idea he had, wasn't even his own anyway. He was re-using a myth he'd once heard, and attempting to turn it into a full-length novel. The myth foretold of a land at the very edge of the world, where a grand Kingdom lay. And there, it was said, that anyone could find love.

Pfft! Like that'd happen!

The sun saw the man in the apartment struggle with this work. It saw him desperately struggle with the paper, trying to turn this myth into a story. And the sun realised something.

Maybe it could do something for him. And the answer was lying in that myth.

The sun smiled, radiating a motherly love toward the man. No man should be lonely. No one deserved to be lonely. And so, it was time for this man to discover the origin of the myth. It was time for him to look _further _than what his eyes could see.

It was time for him to look _beyond._

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King Daisuke Shindou, stared into the horizon beyond the edge of Anaeria's boarders. He was an old man, hair his original black hair greying, his violet eyes focused solely on the boarder separating his world from the _World_. His men were constantly watching the boarders, hoping to keep the peace between the world and their land. If any mere mortal were to discover the secrets that lay in the land of Anaeria… only the Seer knew what would happen. 

The Seer was a family friend of some kind. He was a young man, with blond hair and light bluey-green eyes. He had been put in charge by King Daisuke himself, for the purpose of informing the Kingdom of when someone from the outside would enter their Kingdom, crossing over the realms of fantasy and reality and entering their world. Seers had the ability to see the future, and often the past. They were able to see things from many different perspectives, and sometimes their visions of the past would be enough to make a mere mortal weep in sorrow and regret at the terrible things humanity had done to each other in the past.

Anaeria's Seer, was a man named Touma Seguchi, and he possessed an amazing power – one which could be used to bring destruction, or rebirth for humanity.

Touma stood beside the King, whose eyes were concentrating on the Northern boarder particularly, the weakest boarder of their land and the only one separating them from the _World_. The _World_, as the citizens of Anaeria called it, was a place of technology. It didn't have monsters that brought great destruction, although there were plenty of thieves and mass murderers in the _World_. The _World_ also didn't have magic – in fact many of them doubted its existence. Perhaps, Anaeria was just a possibility… what the _World_ could have been like if its citizens had allowed themselves to believe in magic and not rely on _science_ for answers.

Either way, the people of the _World_ must never pass into Anaeria, or surely great destruction would follow.

The Seer decided that he had to say something to his King. He had to tell him of _that_ vision. The vision he was sure the King would not be pleased to hear.

"King Shindou," he began. The King shook his head and turned his attention to the Seer.

"No, no Touma. How many times must I tell you? You refer to me as _Daisuke_. We've been friends since the day you arrived from the _World_ into Anaeria. There's no need for you to refer to me as _King_or _Your Highness_ for that matter. Just _Daisuke_ is fine for me," he replied, and then his gaze shifted back to the Northern boarder. The Seer laughed quietly.

"Yes, I suppose we have been friends for quite a long time. So then, _Daisuke_, I have some rather disturbing news for you," he spoke. The King's attention automatically was dragged back to Touma.

"_What?_" he asked, his voice seeming extremely anxious all of a sudden, "_What have you Seen?"_

Touma closed his eyes, trying to dig out the words from inside him. The words he needed to speak.

_The words about his vision._

"Daisuke… I'm afraid I had a vision. And… it was not a pleasant one. An uprising is beginning in the Eastern boarder. It appears that the people from the Water land of Aquaria feel your methods for ruling are out-dated. And… they're slowly influencing the Southern side, the Fire land. It won't be long till they manage to convince the Western side, the Earth land, to join in,"

"How big will their army be?" Daisuke asked, voice shaking, "Will we be able to put up a fight?". Touma's gaze fell to the floor.

"I'm afraid not. We're going to loose Daisuke. _Badly_. They'll overpower us and take control of Anaeria. Our precious Air land will no longer be under our control," he replied. Daisuke took a deep breath.

"So… we will fall at their mercy?" he asked. Touma looked up at him, and shook his head.

"_No_. _Not necessarily,_" he said. Daisuke raised an eyebrow. Touma continued.

"You see… I have foreseen something else in this vision too. In my vision, I saw the birth of a hero. A hero that will save Anaeria,"

"Tell me," Daisuke urged, "Where can we find this hero?". Touma sighed and cast his gaze to the Northern boarder.

"That's the problem. He dwells _there_. In the _World_,"

A silence was born into the air. Time passed slowly. Wind blew it's way through the Kingdom. The King's gaze was focused on the Northern boarder – on the _World_ – and his eyes were widened in disbelief. It was almost as if the Seer's words could not penetrate his mind.

"He… _the hero_… is in the _World_?" Daisuke asked, his voice trembling ever so slightly, "Then how are we supposed to get him here? No man from the _World_ can pass through the boarder! It is forbidden! The Sun gave us its word that no man would ever pass through the Northern boarder to Anaeria!"

"But _I_ made it here, you forget," the Seer spoke up, "And I was just a mere mortal like himself when I passed through the Northern boarder,"

"You were different…" Daisuke replied, "You were a special case…"

"Either way, _Sire_," Daisuke grimaced at the title he was addressed, "If I made it through the boarder, everyone has the potential to,"

King Daisuke sighed. He knew the Seer spoke the truth. He knew, in his heart, that a hero would rise in the _World_ and enter theirs. He knew this…

… _and he nodded._

"So… what is the name of this hero?" Daisuke asked slowly. Touma smiled and gazed at the Northern boarder.

"His name is… _Eiri Uesugi,"_

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**A/N:** I've got a pretty solid idea on where this is going… it's all just a case of _getting_ it to that point! Should be fun to type! Anyway, hope you've enjoyed the first stage of our newest project. Check back for updates! 

Take care guys, review and ja ne!

_- Hikari-kun -_


	2. Stage II: Myth

**A/N:** Welcome to the second stage of **"Beyond",** titled **'Myth'**!

Well heyo my friends! How have you been since last we spoke? I've been grand thanks! Been pulling around with "The Shining Light" so that,_ hopefully_, it can go back up again very soon. But right now, things aren't looking too good for it – there's a lot of things about it that require serious tweaking. Cia and I have planned a sit-down session to put some more ideas together, and after that hopefully we'll be able to post the story back up again.

Anyway, I wanted to get down to writing this chapter as soon as possible, and ideas have been flying around for this story between myself and MaY-sempai. I really owe this girl – _BIG TIME._ She always gives me the best advice, asks some of the best questions that get me thinking, and her continuous support is mega appreciated! In fact, a _lot_ of her work has inspired this story's birth. So, if you want to thank anyone, thank MaY-sempai, my sempai, _the_ fluff-master and the Queen of Randomness. Thank you so much MaY-sempai! I don't know what I'd do without you girl : D

And, in reply to MaryK's review, _yes_ this will eventually be a YukiXShu fic. It's just Shu-chan hasn't been introduced yet. Hopefully his grand entrance should be in this chapter : D Look forward to it!

Well, anyway, I'll quit waffling here and I hope you enjoy reading the Stage II, **'Myth'**!

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**Theme of 'Myth':** _Main Theme – "Gravity of Love" by Enigma; "Epitaph" from .hack/LIMINALITY Original Soundtrack; "Eternal" by Evanescence._

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**Beyond**

**Stage II: Myth**

_Nothing is ever as it appears. The World was never meant to be certain. We cannot be human, without being unsure of things. Nothing is for certain. Everything around us is shrouded in mystery. While the human race thinks we know everything, we only know one thing for certain._

_That is that we know _nothing_ for certain._

_After all, there'd be no fun in life, if there was no mysteries._

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In the city of Tokyo, a storm was raging.

It was one of the worst storms in history, and it was completely unexplainable. Many experts tried to explain how it had come about, but they were completely unable to give an explanation. They advised citizens to stay in their houses, as thunder and lightning storms were due to strike during this horrendous storm. There was even rumours flying around about a tsunami striking the city. But these were _only_ rumours, and therefore most people didn't listen to them.

Eiri Uesugi, stared out of the living room window, watching the rain drops almost crash into the window and listening to the roar of the rain pattering on the roof. Thunder clapped in the grey sky, that was overcast with big, fat, rain clouds. The big fat rain drops clanked on the window. The lightning in the sky caused the whole city to almost light up.

The sun was nowhere in sight.

It was hiding behind the veils of clouds, trying to make a dream come true. Trying to give the most important gift to a lonely man.

_Trying to give hope for love to Eiri Uesugi._

Eiri sighed, and turned away from the window. He felt so exhausted right now. The book was _nowhere _near completion. It was still a blank document, sitting open on his laptop. He didn't understand why the storm had suddenly come on like this. But what he _really_ didn't understand… _was why he felt so empty._

It was as if a part of himself had flown away, into the very heart of the storm.

"_Loneliness is something man must endure in his heart,"_. A wise man had once said that to him. But that man had been born, lived and died alone. He had endured loneliness all through his life, and yet never _once_ had he _ever_ found love. He'd always been alone.

It seemed Eiri was destined to carry the same fate.

Fatigue began to take its toll on the novelist. He felt weak, and the world around him began to spin madly out of control. He couldn't seem to focus correctly. He, somehow, managed to make his way to the couch, in which he collapsed on.

And, the last thing he remembered seeing, was a very bright light, like lightning, before he fell into darkness.

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A young, pink-headed man stared listlessly out of the castle window. His violet eyes studied the horizon, watching as soldiers on the Eastern and Southern boarders began to gather forces and prepare their attack on Anaeria. His mind was elsewhere though. It was not within the boarders of Anaeria. It was somewhere _past_ the boarders of the Air land. It was where his heart was.

_It was in the World._

"Prince Shindou! Your father is calling for you!" called a long, brown haired girl, who poked her head round the young man's doorway. 'Prince Shindou', as he was addressed, rolled his eyes and turned to face her.

"Ayaka, _please_ call me Shuichi. You _know_ I can't _stand_ being addressed as 'Prince Shindou'," he muttered. Ayaka smiled at him.

"I know, Shuichi, I know. But, please, hurry. He sounded urgent when he called for you,". Shuichi turned his attention back out the window for a brief moment, and then turned back to Ayaka again. He nodded.

"Right. Lead the way," he said. Ayaka nodded hurriedly, and led him out of the room, and down to the courtyards, where his father would be waiting for him…

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The leader of the Water Land of Aquaria, smirked while watching his soldiers get into position and form groups. He'd finally managed to form an alliance with the Fire land of Ouzo's leader, Lord Maa. He was just hoping he'd be able to get Sir Ken of the Earth land, Gaia, to join in the fight against Anaeria. Then they'd _really_ be able to take over that out-dated Air land.

"Master! You're wanted downstairs for a talk with Lord Maa!" called a soldier from outside his office.

Taki, smirked and stood up.

"Tell him, I'll be with him soon," he began. Then he paused for a moment.

"_And tell him… that someone from the World is arriving in Anaeria soon,"_ he added.

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"Soldiers! Listen up! We've got an important battle ahead of us! But don't fear! King Shindou will lead us to glory! So, keep those chins up and let's go kick some butt!" yelled a blond headed gun mage from the Palace Guard.

Hiroshi Nakano, sweatdropped and turned to his fellow commander, Suguru Fujisaki.

"I have to wonder sometimes why K was put in charge of the Guard," he whispered. Suguru nodded and sweatdropped even more as K began randomly shooting things in the Guard's headquarters.

"Well… maybe he'll calm down soon,"

A painting crashed to the floor.

"… or maybe not…"

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**A/N:** Hehe! We were introduced to a _lot_ of characters today! We had Shuichi, Ayaka, Taki, Maa, Ken, K, Hiro and Suguru… all in one chapter! Hehe! I found it really difficult to write this chapter, but it turned out well I think! Anyway, please review, and I'll update soon – _that's a promise!_

_- Hikari-kun -_


	3. Stage III: Forward

**A/N:** Hey everyone! And welcome to ­the third stage of **"Beyond"** titled **'Forward'**!

I'm really glad there's been such a positive response to this story! It's amazing really! I _totally_ wasn't expecting this many people to enjoy reading this story! I mean, it's been a right laugh writing it, but I didn't actually think anyone would bother reviewing it! Guess life is full of surprises, ne?

School is almost over here in the UK. Well, technically, I live in England, but I classify myself as a UK citizen because of my Northern Irish background. It'll be over officially on Thursday, but Thursday will be a half-day, so in student terms we say it finishes on Wednesday. It'll be fantastic went school's out – it means I'll finally have lots of time to write this project! I want it to be my summer project, so it'll be finished before we go back to school in September. Also, to make an announcement, starting September, I won't be able to update as much, because I start GCSEs then. Just thought I should let you all know ahead of time : )

Anyway, enough waffling! Let's start up **'Forward'**!

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**Theme of 'Forward': **_Main Theme-_ _"Gravity of Love" by Enigma; "Tsubasa" from Tsubasa Chronicles; "On the Precipice of Defeat" from Bleach Original Soundtrack I; "Hurry!" from Final Fantasy X Original Soundtrack; "Hurry Faster" from Final Fantasy VII Original Soundtrack._

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**Beyond**

**Stage III: Forward**

"_Myths" are things the human race wants to _believe_ do not exist. They seem impossible to us, therefore we doubt their reality. But, just because they seem impossible to us, doesn't mean they _are_ impossible occurrences . "Myths" might simply just be what someone from a generation far earlier than the human race told to their Grandchildren as a story, _or_, what may be less likely, they could be true stories, in which were given the names "myths" so that no one would seek them out again._

_The truth is, "myths" aren't really "myths" at all._

_But we just don't want to find out what they really are._

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He descended into darkness, falling further and further into a black abyss. However, he was sure this was only a dream. Only a dream. It couldn't be anything more than a dream, because no one could ever remain falling through darkness in reality. No… that only happened in dreams. So he was stuck in a dream – a _nightmare_ in fact – but it was sure to end soon… right? 

He felt like he was loosing himself though, as he began to fall further and further. He felt like he was falling deeper and deeper into the very heart of the world. Like he was plummeting into the very heart of his world. He could feel a million different emotions flowing through his very veins. Fear… anxiety… joy… suffering… love… all these things drilled straight into the centre of his heart. It was as if the emotions people around the world were feeling, were being directed around his own body. It was an almost thrilling experience… like playing a game with blindfolds and trading things with people. He didn't know which emotions would strike next. It was like trading emotions with various people all over the world. Feeling their experiences… their losses and heartbreaks… their happiness and joy… all as if they were his own.

This falling sensation became intoxicating, even though he knew it wouldn't last forever. Soon he was bound to wake from his dream, back into the empty apartment… onto that nice comfy couch he owned that sat by the window. But he could hear a voice… calling him from deep inside this dream.

"_Come forward Eiri Uesugi. Step into the light,"_

A blinding flash of light bounced off the walls and echoed itself round the area …

… _and Eiri Uesugi fell into the warm glow of the light below._

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"Shuichi—I mean! Prince Shindou! Thank you for coming down here as soon as you could! We appreciate it!" 

"_HIRO!_" Shuichi whined, punching his childhood friend playfully on the shoulder, "_I told you never to call me that!"_. The red-head simply chuckled and grinned at his best friend. He knew it annoyed Shuichi to be addressed like that – the Shindou family had never been too keen on being addressed so formally, and even King Daisuke and Shuichi's sister, Princess Maiko, always insisted that they were addressed by their first names. Queen Emiko had thought the same thing too, when she was around that area. But she had gone to see what life in the _World_ was like, and had never returned from her trip. She was presumed dead by her family and friends – after all, the sun had made them a promise that _no one_ would get over the Northern boarder that separated Anaeria from the _World_.

The council of palace advisors gathered around the table frowned. Such casual behaviour between soldiers and royalty had been unheard of before the Shindou's came into power in Anaeria. They hated to see their cheerful attitude to life, and many members of the council were suspected of siding with the other nations of Ouzo, Aquaria and Gaia.

There were two kind-hearted members in the council, however, who thought such behaviour was completely acceptable. Those two were Lord Ryuichi of the Sakuma family that ruled near the Eastern boarder, and Lady Noriko of the Ukai family that ruled near the Western boarder. They simply smiled watching the kind-hearted display, and thought that maybe, just maybe, if light could save their world from destruction like the Seer Touma said it could, then maybe this family would be the family to bring that light forth.

King Daisuke coughed to gather everyone's attention. All eyes went straight to the King, in order to listen to what he had to say.

"I'm afraid… _I have some grave news_," he began. Everyone who might've been talking before were silenced immediately. The tension in the air was so thick, it couldn't have even been cut with the swiftest and toughest blade imaginable. King Daisuke's head hung low, staring at the grain of the oak of the table they sat around.

"You see… the Seer Touma has informed me that there is an uprising on the Eastern boarder. Master Taki is attempting to influence both Lord Maa and Sir Ken into attacking Anaeria,". He paused momentarily.

"_The destruction that follows will be _terrible_. Not even our supreme Palace Guard will be able to stop them once they begin their attack,"_

Infinity passed. The a great number of the advisors seemed shocked by the amount of damage the Seer foretold would follow – others were not so surprised. The one who was most destroyed by this news, was their prince.

_The great Prince Shuichi Shindou, was almost in tears, only by hearing this small bit of news._

King Daisuke tapped his glass with a fork, in order to get all attention back to him again.

"_However,"_ he continued, "_A hero is rising. A hero is coming to save Anaeria,"_

Gasps ensued. Anyone near tears were stopped in mid-cry. Even prince Shindou, who was so close to breaking down in tears, was silenced by this announcement.

"_Who!"_ the council urged _"Who is coming to save us!"_

"He is a citizen of the _World_. And his name is Eiri Uesugi," King Daisuke explained. Everyone gathered around the table was sent into severe shock. The Palace Guard were left almost paralysed with the news.

And the one who was most surprised…

… _was Prince Shindou_.

And Hiro noted the expression on his childhood friend's face. He knew that expression very well. All _too_ well. It was the expression Shuichi carried, when he knew something no one else did.

"Hey, Shuichi," Hiro whispered, nudging his best friend, "You know him?". But the prince shook his head.

"No Hiro. Never heard of him in my life. But… he comes from the _World_. And he's coming to save _us_ Hiro. Isn't that amazing?". Hiro nodded, but he knew something else too. His best friend was hiding something. The prince was hiding something from them all.

_Obviously Shuichi knew more about this person than he was letting on._

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Eiri Uesugi awoke, a pain shooting through his head. He felt like he'd gotten seriously wasted. His head throbbed like he was suffering from a _huge_ hangover. He wondered what the heck he'd been doing last night. There was a cool breeze sweeping over him, waves flowing over his ankles, sand in his mouth… 

Wait. _Sand?_

He quickly brought himself to his knees, coughing out all the sand that had somehow made its way into his mouth. After that long, gruelling task was completed, he took a proper look at his surroundings.

He was lying on a beach in the middle of nowhere, the sea behind him stretched out further than the eye could see, but the area before him was a grassland, full of flowers wildlife. He was astounded by its beauty.

"Ah, I see you're here," said a voice from beside him. He looked over in the direction of the voice, locating its source, and he spotted a young man with blond hair and light blueish-green eyes. In fact he strongly resembled someone he knew. Someone important in his life…

"… Touma?"

The Seer smiled.

"_Welcome, Eiri Uesugi, to Anaeria,"_

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**A/N:** Well? How was that? Good? Or was it terrible? I don't know! XD Personally, the ending bit doesn't blend well with me, but I guess I can't do much better than that. I tried my hardest, I really did, so I hope you all liked it! 

Well, I best be off. Lots of random things to do for me! Wish me luck on my ICT Project and please review!

_- Hikari-kun -_


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